PMRA, Quick 32 Sportsman Series and PBSS points battle close for next round at Cayuga Dragway's Nitro Nationals

Racing heats up at Toronto Motorsports Park July 1-3

CAYUGA, ONTARIO (June 30, 2011) – Drag racing at its finest and in a variety of classes returns to the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park July 1-3.

The Pro Modified Racing Association, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the Pro Bike & Sled Series will make their third appearance for 2011 at the track's Canadian Nitro Nationals in Cayuga, Ontario.

A different winner has been declared in each race so far this year in all the drag race series and teams will be ready for the continuous racing action when they take to the Cayuga quarter-mile this weekend.

Leading the PMRA Pro Modifieds in the Championship Point Award Series presented by Magnum Auto Parts and Patio Passport is Vito Montesano with the slimmest of margins. Montesano, of Maple, Ontario has 581 points, while three-time PMRA champion Bruce Boland, of Hamilton, Ontario, who won the opening event, is next with 580 points. Third with 563 points is Eric Latino of Whitby, Ontario, who won the previous event.

Leading the contingent in the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, presented by NAPA Auto Parts, is Phil Sampson of Granton, Ontario. Sampson, who won the opening race with his Top Sportsman entry, has 535 points. Darrin Grubb, of Pine River, Ontario, is next with 496 points. Grubb also races in Top Sportsman, and won the last Quick 32 Sportsman Series race. Third in points at present is Michael Hinbest with 458 points. The Top Dragster driver is from Orangeville, Ontario.

Top Bike rider Randy Hope of London, Ontario leads the PBSS with 518 points after his victory at the latest event. He is followed by Bill Anderson of Seaforth, Ontario. The Top Sled rider has 478 points. Presently tied for third spot in the PBSS are Dave Marshall of Prescott, Ontario, and James Miller of Orillia, Ontario. Both Marshall and Miller compete in the Pro Sled side of the PBSS.

The Canadian Nitro Nationals will be the third event in the six-race 2011 schedule for the Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA), www.PMRA.ca, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts, www.Quick32.ca and the Bike & Sled Series (PBSS), www.PBSS.ca 

Qualifying will take place beginning Friday, July 1, and continue throughout Saturday, July 2, with elimination rounds scheduled to take place Sunday, July 3.

This event, now in its second year, will feature the best drag racing in Canada. Along with the PMRA, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the PBSS, the weekend will host runs from several nitromethane-burning fuel cars, including NHRA stars Cruz and Tony Pedregon, and former PMRA Pro Modified racer Ike Maier of Tottenham, Ontario, at the wheel of the Paton Racing Top Fueler.

Great weekend at MIR Legends Race!

I'd like to thank Royce Miller and Dave Outten for having the Pirrone and Ellershaw Race Team at the second annual Legends of Budd Creek Nostalgia Race... This event has really taken off in its second season! The racer participation was great with the pits full and more importantly the stands were much fuller than the previous year! The Pirrone & Ellershaw team had all FIVE of its race cars in attendance at this years event! The Boss Hydro and K.S. Pittman 1933 Willys AA/GS cars were there for display, the "Soul Survivor" Nitro Comp coupe took part in the cacklefest. The Big Time Memories 1941 Willys driven by Rick "Pappy" Stief participated in a AA/GS match race with legendary gasser great Fred Bear. We also had the Screamin Eagle Funny car in the Nostalgia funny car final. We had the honor of racing Bunny Burkett and her all star crew in the final. What a great weekend with some of the best people in the sport of drag racing! (Photos by Stephen Jones -- East Coast Drag News)

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Today's Drag Racing News

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NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series isn't a young man's game Mansfield News Journal The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series features the fastest race cars on the planet. The technology that goes into the four highest classes of the sport is complex. The things needed to host a show of this magnitude at Summit Motorsports Park are ... See all stories on this topic »

Worsham has no trouble with Top Fuel switch USA Today By John Marshall, AP Sports Writer Despite more than two decades in drag racing and some previous experience in the long, narrow cars of Top Fuel, Del Worsham figured he would have an adjustment period switching over from racing Funny Cars. ... See all stories on this topic »

IHRA Gearing up for Historic Weekend at Summit Racing Sportsman Spectacular WhoWon.com by Larry Crum NORWALK, Ohio -- In 40 years of IHRA drag racing, there has never been a sportsman drag race bigger than this. A grand total of $5000 to win in each IHRA class, completely open fields consisting of both IHRA and NHRA competitors and a ... See all stories on this topic »

Kansas Red Cross gets Donation from CarSafe Motorsports Kansas City Star Folks traveled by air, car and RV to enjoy the American Drag Racing League's "Kansas National Guard Independence Drags V" held at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas. Patrons enjoyed interacting with race car drivers; Richie Stevens Jr and 2010 World ... See all stories on this topic »

Drag Racing: Gridlock almost at the 140mph mark Dunmow Broadcast The team will now be busy preparing for the Mini Showdown in two weeks before setting off for the home of European Drag Racing at Santa Pod for Dragstalgia. The car is also scheduled to appear at Felsted Primary School Fete this Saturday and will be ... See all stories on this topic » Dunmow Broadcast

Reality Show Features 'Slick Wicked' Upstate Women WYFF Greenville ANDERSON COUNTY, SC -- A Los Angeles film crew is in the Upstate to shoot a proposed reality series about a female drag racing team. For more than eight years, "Slick Wicked," a group of five Upstate women who build, paint and race their own hot rods ... See all stories on this topic »

World's top Funny Car drivers at Cayuga Toronto Sun (Dale Erauw photo) If you listen carefully enough on Friday, Saturday or Sunday this week you might just hear the big boys of drag racing who will be staging their 8000 horsepower Top Fuel dragsters at the National Hot Rod Association Canadian Nitro ... See all stories on this topic »

NHRA Top Sportsman - Mike Coughlin Looking To Hit The Trifecta In Norwalk Autochannel (press release) Now the two-time D3 champion is looking to make more fireworks as he heads to northwest Ohio for the resumption of last months' rain-delayed B'Laster Cavalcade of Stars Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event. Coughlin, the 2007 and 2009 NHRA Division 3 Top ... See all stories on this topic » Autochannel (press release)

IHRA gearing up for historic weekend at Summit Racing Sportsman Spectacular

Maryland International Raceway to host huge IHRA race July 8-10

NORWALK, Ohio (June 29, 2011) – In 40 years of IHRA drag racing, there has never been a sportsman drag race bigger than this.

A grand total of $5,000 to win in each IHRA class, completely open fields consisting of both IHRA and NHRA competitors and a spot in the year-end Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions up for grabs makes this the must-attend sportsman drag race of the summer.

Today's Drag Racing News

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Drag Racing legends to appear in Cayuga Grand River Sachem By Bill Mehlenbacher, Motorsports This season's largest drag racing is set to go this weekend at Toronto Motorsport's Cayuga Dragway. Drag Racing legends Tony Pedregon and Cruz Pedregon will be appearing at Toronto Motorsports Cayuga Dragway on July 2 ... See all stories on this topic »

Letter: Clarifying issues on disqualification of drag racers Inquirer.net I would like to present some points to clarify the issues brought up by the disqualified drag racers during the 4th round of National Drag Racing Championships. 1. The equipment must be supplied exclusively by Kilton Motors. ... See all stories on this topic »

Bikers set for rally at the Rock Richmond County Daily Journal by By Dawn M. Kurry There will be day and night drag racing on Rockingham's famous 1/4 mile racing. With cash pay-outs in Pro ET, Street ET, Bracket and Grudge Racing categories, the racers will be out and the fans can look forward to four packed days ... See all stories on this topic »

Dragracer Bissessar urges road safety Trinidad News "I've always had a passion for racing and I began my career drag-racing at the old Wallerfield airstrip," he said. "Back then, I was doing a quarter-mile in 17 seconds and I thought that was fast." "Today, I hold the International Hot Rod Association ... See all stories on this topic »

Shift 2 Unleashed Legends and Speedhunters DLC to be released free on PC PC Gamer Magazine Between them the packs add more than twenty new cars, five new tracks and new racing modes, including drag racing. The two packs were released in April and May this year on the Xbox 360 as paid-for packs. As of June 30, this Thursday, they'll be free ... See all stories on this topic »

Flights of fancy! Deccan Chronicle Bengaluru has long been a haven for those with the need for speed; with facilities for drag racing, dirt racing, horse racing and more. If you move away from the raucous crowd of more popular races, you will get exposed to a different kind of racing ... See all stories on this topic » Deccan Chronicle

ADRL to Work with World Motorsports Breast Cancer Foundation for Two Upcoming ... WhoWon.com The American Drag Racing League (ADRL) announced on Tuesday a partnership with the World Motorsports Breast Cancer Foundation (WMSBCF) for two races during the 2011 ADRL Tour. The growing foundation will have a large presence at two upcoming 2011 ... See all stories on this topic »

Benaraby Raceway drags in racers Gladstone Observer LAST year's super sedan winner of the Eighth Mile Drag Racing Series and the runner-up will go head-to-head at Benaraby Raceway next weekend. The venue happens to be the home track for Scott Sorensen, who took out the category in 2010, ... See all stories on this topic »

Maryland International Raceway's 2011 Hall of Fame Bay Net By Andy Marquis During Saturday's second annual "Legends at Budds Creek", Maryland International Raceway took time to honor those who helped lay the foundation for drag racing in the Southern Maryland region. The five inductees were Bill Gray, ... See all stories on this topic » Bay Net

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The Fasetest Motorcycles in Poland - Drag Racing 1/4 Mile - Video Drag Racing Nitro Nostalgia Funny Cars March Meet 2009 10:00 · Drag Racing Nitro Nostalgia Funny ... Suzuki Hayabusa Drag Racing ... www.metacafe.com/.../the_fasetest_motorcycles_in_poland_dr...

Tickets Now On Sale for 'New' 2011 NHRA Arizona Nationals

Long a Featured Event on Arizona's Motor Sports Calendar, There are Plenty of 'New' Aspects to This Year's Race Including a New Date, New Playoff Status and a New Category of Racing

GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY – June 28, 2011 – Tickets are now on sale for one of the "newest" races on the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule - the 2011 Arizona Nationals, scheduled for Oct. 14-16 at Firebird International Raceway.

So what's so new about the 2011 Arizona Nationals? After all, this traditional visit by the NHRA has long been considered one of the premier events on Arizona's annual motor sports calendar.

AEROSPACE COMPONENTS NHRA UNLEASHED AND NMCA TO JOIN FORCES

GLENDORA, Calif. (June 28, 2011) —It was announced today that the Aerospace Components NHRA Unleashed program will combine forces with the National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) to deliver an unparalleled offering of fun and close side-by-side racing for fans and competitors alike.   The popular Aerospace Components NHRA Unleashed program, which was formed in 2010, will be featured at five NMCA events for the remainder of the 2011 season.

ADRL To Work With World Motorsports Breast Cancer Foundation For Two Upcoming Events

O'FALLON, MO (June 28, 2011) – The American Drag Racing League (ADRL) announced on Tuesday a partnership with the World Motorsports Breast Cancer Foundation (WMSBCF) for two races during the 2011 ADRL Tour.

Today's Drag Racing News

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Nostalgia drag racing the next shooting star? Yahoo! Sports Nostalgia drag racing is not one of these shooting stars … yet. This motorsport isn't as glamorous or sexy as vodka or Lady Gaga, although this family based motorsport is one of the only sports that is growing. And ironically its popularity is held ... See all stories on this topic » Yahoo! Sports

NHRA: 19-year-old gets second career win Mansfield News Journal The New York native earned the second Pro Stock victory of his young career in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Instead of carrying the Wally (the name of the trophy handed out at NHRA Nationals) into the post-event press conference, ... See all stories on this topic »

Dry track meant for great drag racing Clarenville Packet As much as Martin is a seasoned veteran, it was Bradley's first ever drag racing experience. He drives a dragster. Terry Walsh in his Chev Beretta won the consolation round. The runner up was Paul Power. Next racing in Clarenville is set for July 9-10. See all stories on this topic »

'Big Daddy' Don Garlits races and judges at Maple Grove Raceway bctv.org Drag racing legend Don Garlits had some tough choices to make at Maple Grove Raceway, Brecknock Township, the weekend of June 25-26. The drag racing legend worked double-duty — driving his 2009 Dodge Challenger in the first annual Mopar Action at The ... See all stories on this topic »

Newman finishes 25th in Sonoma road race DVIDS After 10 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series races, Brown is fourth in driver points while Schumacher is fifth. The next Sprint Cup race is Saturday night, July 2, at Daytona International Speedway. The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series has this ... See all stories on this topic »

Retirement program changing, saving taxpayer money NBC2 News "This is me drag racing," says Mammen while pointing to a picture of her in a racing car. To keep funding her hobby, the Clewiston grandma just enrolled in DROP - the Deferred Retirement Option Program. "I just barely made it by the skin of my teeth," ... See all stories on this topic »

MFest Or Bust! - Event Eurotuner With no questions asked, you have admission to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the drag racing, road course and car show, plus the magic ticket to Club Lavo and Tao, the host nightclubs. As such, MFest is perhaps the ultimate BMW event that's not for kids ... See all stories on this topic » Eurotuner

Bisimoto Engineering Shocks The World With A 500+HP Fully-Functional Sports Hybrid Super Street Magazine He's world-renowned for having the most powerful naturally-aspirated single cam Hondas, holding records in the import drag racing world in his Honda Insight, and has even ventured out from the Honda community to make his mark in the Porsche tuning ... See all stories on this topic » Super Street Magazine

Woodburn Dragstrip + Good Weather + Great Times = Best Ever

The 2011 35th Annual NAPA Auto Parts • Oldies 106.7 Oldies but Goodies held June 25 & 26 will likely be remembered as the best ever. Great weather and great times provided the basis for an excellent weekend. Scott White set both ends of the AA/Supercharged Woodburn Dragstrip track record ( 6.555 at 213.57 mph) before his parachutes failed to blossom. The damage which resulted to his car prevented his return to further race action this weekend. Les Davenport established the legal A/Fuel Dragster track ET record with a 6.207 while Kin Bates set the mph record at 225.90. Troy Owen earned his first AA/Supercharged victory while Mike Padur downed Dennis Gorans in Top Eliminator. Spud Miller and Lloyd Hamilton took the titles in Pro Nostalgia A and B and Mike Miller’s hard launching Pinto took top prize in Top Gas. Other winners were Sam Scot IV, Paul Comeau, Chuck Lawrence, Bruce Riedl, Jim Lamkin, Dick Arnold, Michael Bjerkland, Wendy Pine, Gregg Heriford, and Richard Dietrich.

FREE ADMISSION TICKET to IHRA Sportsman Spectacular at MIR on Fri-Sat-Sun July 8-10!!

Boychuk wins one for Edmonton at IHRA Nitro Jam

Lagana doubles, Boychuk sweeps on championship Sunday at Castrol Raceway

EDMONTON, Alberta (June 27, 2011) – Once a year the IHRA Nitro Jam series travels to Alberta's capital city to put on the biggest drag race in all of Canada.

And once a year a dozen or so drivers get a chance to make their hometown fans proud with a shot at glory at Castrol Raceway.

For the second year in a row, that is person is Tim Boychuk.

For the second consecutive year Boychuk dominated at his home track of Castrol Raceway with a huge victory in the biggest Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car competition in western Canada, edging fellow Edmontonian Mike Grekul to take the crown at the Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals Sunday in Edmonton. Boychuk ran a 3.831 elapsed time at 198.85 miles per hour in the eighth-mile final to defeat Grekul and continue his reign of terror at Castrol Raceway.

"I am speechless, I get choked up just thinking about what this means," said Boychuk, driver of the "Troy Lee Designs" backed Pontiac Funny Car. "It was such a crazy weekend with the rain and so many great competitors gunning for us that my emotions are just up and down right now.

"The only thing I do know is that I have a great, consistent crew that gets me down the track and I am thrilled to come away a winner once again."

Joining Boychuk in taking home Ironman trophies on championship Sunday at Castrol Raceway were Bobby Lagana Jr. (Top Fuel), Jay Turner (Nitro Harley), Wayne Hofer (Pro Modified) and Ron Maroney (Nostalgia Fuel Altered).

Sportsman winners from Sunday's Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals were Darryn O'Conner (Top Sportsman), Scott Hearn (Top Dragster), Mike Pople (Quick Rod), Chad Barclay (Super Rod), Tony Osredkar (Hot Rod), Sheldon Erfle (Super Stock), Mark Faul (Stock), Dan Coss (No Box), John Melnyk (Box) and Kaitlyn Crooks (Junior Dragster).

But by far Sunday's biggest winner was Boychuk.

After sweeping the Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals in 2010, Boychuk hoped to continue that streak at Castrol Raceway with another strong outing and did just that by dominating the Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car class.

Boychuk qualified first on the charts on Saturday with a 5.788, 242.02 to lead all competitors and carried that momentum into Sunday with three solid laps to take the win.

In the final Boychuk was thrown a bit of a curveball as weather forced the remainder of the event to be finished in the eighth-mile, but it mattered very little as Boychuk left the line first and cruised to an easy victory with a 3.831, 198.85 in the win. Grekul in the "Pleuger and Geiger" Mustang finished with a 4.399, 132.96 in the runner-up spot.

"It doesn't really change anything running to the eighth-mile. We just line it up and do our thing," Boychuk said. "The only thing is that I really didn't want to shut it off."

Boychuk also downed Brad Thompson in round one and then met up with "Mr. Explosive" Mark Sanders in the semifinals. After putting down his best pass of the weekend the round before, Sanders gave it his all in trying to get around the quick Canadian, but his efforts fell short as Boychuk cruised to the win.

Today's Drag Racing News

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Mike Neff joins NHRA winners AHN | All Headline News Neff scored his third win of the season and also among the class champions were Del Worsham, Vincent Nobile, and Eddie Krawiec at the 10th of 22 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events. Mike Neff joined three others atop the podium Sunday in the ... See all stories on this topic »

Drag racer Wards finds his way to national title Kitsap Sun By Joe Sherk Special to the Kitsap Sun BREMERTON — On a perfect day for drag racing, a throng of 350 racers showed up at Bremerton Raceway Saturday to compete for special trophies in the first of two NHRA National Open races. And as the sun slowly set ... See all stories on this topic »

Lagana leads the way north of the border Radioactive Drag Racing News For the second night in a row it was a race against Mother Nature at Castrol Raceway, but unlike Friday night when a freak storm washed out day one of the Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals, this time drag racing won. ... See all stories on this topic »

Stick-Shift Transforms Buick Regal Turbo (Slideshow) Wall Street Journal (blog) By Jonathan Welsh When I was a teenager my father took me to the drag-racing hub of Englishtown, NJ for the Street Machine Nationals, a gathering of American muscle cars. While waiting in the usual traffic jam to get in, I became intrigued with a 1967 ... See all stories on this topic »

2011 NHRA: Rowe Secures No 1 Qualifying Position, Wins First Round Of Eliminations PaddockTalk NORWALK, Ohio -- First round of Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series eliminations from the Fifth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, the seventh of 10 events. ... See all stories on this topic »

Atlanta Motor Speedway's Friday Night Drags & MCR Safety Show-N-Shine Week ... WhoWon.com The drag racing segment of week eight of Atlanta Motor Speedway's Friday Night Drags & MCR Safety Show-N-Shine has been cancelled due to inclement weather. Spectators who purchased tickets this week may return next Friday and show their ticket stub for ... See all stories on this topic »

Mike Kosky, MIR Legends Race on Racin & Rockin June 27!

 
Racin' and Rockin': Mike Kosky, MIR Legends Race on Racin & Rockin June 27! by Bill Pratt. Mike Kosky has been at the forefront of Top Alcohol Dragster racing since the inception of the class. Join us on Monday, June 27, as we find out what it takes to compete on the grueling Lucas Oil series week in and week out! (Photo: Auto Imagery) PLUS! Interviews and notes from the second annual Legends at Budds Creek event from Maryland International Raceway! And Hit Records with John Bockelman, and the famous Racin' & Rockin' Musical After Party!

GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD SERIES RESULTS SUNDAY FROM NORWALK

CASTELLANA RACES TO SECOND WIN OF THE SEASON DURING GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD SERIES RACE

NORWALK, Ohio – Mike Castellana raced to his second win of the season during the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series event that took place during the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals on Sunday. In the finals he was pitted against No. 1 qualifier Mike Rowe, who was in his third consecutive finals.

Castellana had a .066 reaction time to a .073 for Rowe and was able to use that to his advantage and posted a winning pass of 5.869 seconds at 243.24 miles per hour to the losing effort of Rowe’s at 5.960 seconds at 244.78 mile per hour.

Khalid Balooshi, who was defeated in the second round, retains the series points lead by 23 points over Rowe and with the win Castellana holds down the fifth place position in the points.

The Get Screened America Pro Mod Series returns to action during the 57th annual Mac Tools U. S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis on Aug. 31 – Sept. 5th.

NHRA FULL THROTTLE SERIES SUNDAY RESULTS FROM NORWALK

NEFF WINS HIS THIRD RACE OF THE SEASON; WORSHAM, NOBILE, KRAWIEC ALSO WINNERS IN NORWALK

NORWALK, Ohio – Mike Neff raced to his third win of the season Sunday as racing came to an end at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

Del Worsham, Vincent Nobile, and Eddie Krawiec also won in their respective categories at the 10th of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

HUGE FIREWORKS SHOW TOPS OFF ATLANTA DRAGWAY NIGHT OF FIRE, BROTHERS GET TO MEET IN 13-17 JR DRAGSTER FINAL

(Commerce, GA – June 25) The largest fireworks show in North Georgia, four Jet Cars, a wheelstander and lots of really fast cars made the 2011 edition of Atlanta Dragway's Night of Fire a hit with the fans. Thousands of spectators enjoyed the show, which included six different classes of Summit ET racing and a manufacturer's midway capped off with a play area for the younger fans.

The four jet cars included the Cannonball Express driven by K.C. Jones, Chattanooga Choo Choo (Paul Kelley), Police Interceptor (Mike "Hojo" Hojnacki) and the Miller Welding car (Elaine Larsen). All thrilled the audience with smoke and flame shows and then proved they were the fastest machines on the grounds with passes ranging from 235 to 275mph in two sessions. Longtime wheelstander Richard Hutchins put on a great show with his Chevy Rebellion, tripping the finish line timers with his rear wheels at over 130mph. Keith Szabo and Ronnie Davis showed off their revised hot rods, along with some blistering passes by the Vancica family in their Advanced ET supercharged alcohol burning dragsters.

2011 Legends at Budds Creek Saturday Photos

 
Drag Photo Review: 2011 Legends at Budds Creek Saturday Photos by Bill Pratt. Day two photos from the 2011 Legends at Budds Creek event at Maryland International Raceway. More great cars and great people. Captions soon. Click HERE to see the photos!

Nitro Jam beats the rain, provides thrilling evening of racing Saturday in Edmonton

Saturday 'Night of Fire' closes out qualifying at Castrol Raceway

EDMONTON, Alberta (June 25, 2011) – For the second night in a row it was a race against Mother Nature at Castrol Raceway, but unlike Friday night when a freak storm washed out day one of the Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals, this time drag racing won.

All of the professional classes got in multiple runs Saturday night during the SMS "Night of Fire" at Castrol Raceway and sportsman competitors wrapped up qualifying as the fields are finally set for eliminations heading into championship Sunday at Canada's largest drag race at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton.

Two nitro classes crowned winners on Saturday as Bobby Lagana bested a field of four Top Fuel Dragsters to claim his eighth Ironman of the season and Ron Maroney won for the second time this year in the "Nanook" entry over Tom Padilla to claim the Nostalgia Fuel Altered crown.

In professional qualifying Edmonton native Tim Boychuk topped the Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car field heading into Sunday with a blistering pace just off the IHRA Nitro Jam national record. Other top qualifiers from day two at the Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals included Steve Dorn in Nitro Harley, Cal Tebb in the Rocky Mountain Funny Car class and Gary Urlacher in Pro Modified.

Sportsman top qualifiers included Dan Lachelt in Top Dragster, Mark Campbell in Top Sportsman, Byron Setters in Super Stock and Paul Plummer in Stock.

But by far, the biggest winner from Saturday night was Boychuk.

Boychuk put down a 5.788, 242.02 in the final round of qualifying on Saturday to head the class, just ahead of Arizona native Mike Savage in the "Candies and Hughes" 1970 Barracuda Funny Car who ran a 5.846, 236.88.

Always a fan favorite, the huge Canadian crowd was brought to its feet when Boychuk, the defending race winner in Edmonton, blasted down the quarter-mile at near record times to top the nostalgia Nitro Funny Car class.

"It is always great to get to race in front of my hometown fans and they were certainly behind us every single pass we made," Boychuk said. "We knew we had a car to beat here this weekend and we hope we can continue this momentum into Sunday and come away with our third win in a row here at Castrol Raceway."

Rounding out the eight-car Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car top five are Michael Grekul, Tim Nemeth and Mark Sanders.

While many of the classes were just qualifying on Saturday, two winners were crowned during the SMS "Night of Fire" included Top Fuel star Bobby Lagana Jr.

Lagana bested Nitro Jam newcomer Kyle Wurtzel in round one to set up yet another matchup with longtime friend and rival Bruce Litton in the finals. Lagana ran a 4.897, 268.49 in the winning pass, easily picking up the win as Litton lost traction immediately off the line.

Lagana also had a solid 4.891, 303.09 in round one to defeat Wurtzel. In the consolation pairing Wurtzel picked up his first career Nitro Jam round win over Mike Strasburg.

The other victor from Saturday was Ron Maroney in the "Nanook" entry as he bested Tom Padilla in "Nasty Benjamin" with a 6.530, 221.49 in the final. Padilla ran a 7.006, 166.66 in the runner-up effort. Maroney advanced to the final with a win over Jason Richey, producing the best pass of the afternoon with a 6.492, 223.62.

In the consolation round Richey defeated Randy Bradford.

The rest of the evening consisted of qualifying as Nitro Jam regulars Dorn and Jay Turner topped Nitro Harley qualifying, with Dorn producing a weekend best 6.683, 197.45 to top the charts on Saturday. Turner's best so far is a 6.702, 207.85.

Ken Kent, Nathan Gagnon and Damian Cownden round out the Nitro Harley top five.

In Pro Modified action Gary Urlacher topped the West Coast Pro Modified Association with a 6.378, 216.13 in his '63 Corvette, followed by Wayne Hofer, Ross Hogenson, Vern Mills and Dan Vogt.

Finally, in the Rocky Mountain Funny Car category Cal Tebb ran a nearly dead-on 6.993, 199.67 in the 6.99 class, followed by Joey Steckler, David Brant, Eddy Plaizier and Darrel Webb.

In exhibition action fans saw Alcohol Funny Cars, Nitro Funny Cars, Pro Fuel Dragsters and a pair of individual runs by Grave Digger and the Super Shockwave jet semi. The pair were scheduled to go head-to-head Saturday night, but rains cut short the finale.

Still, despite the wet weather, Les Shockley still put on a show for the fans that stuck out the weather with a fire show and careful pass in the misty conditions to close out the evening.

In sportsman action the Top Dragster and Top Sportsman Elite 8 competitions were both cut short due to the rains with the winners splitting the money. Mike Quayle and No. 8 qualifier Tom McAvoy were the remaining two participants in Top Dragster while Todd Fleck and Don Wilk were the drivers left in Top Sportsman.

Racing will resume at the Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday with sportsman eliminations followed by the first round of professional eliminations at 11:30 a.m. Nitro Jam will get underway at 1 p.m.

Today's Drag Racing News

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Race legend Muldowney planning to race again Chronicle-Telegram NORWALK - Shirley Muldowney is known as the "First Lady of Drag Racing," and for good reason. The trail-blazing racer became the first woman to win an NHRA Top Fuel championship, when she set a track record of 5.96 seconds at Columbus on June 13, 1976, ... See all stories on this topic »

Jacksonville native part of MTV 2 reality show on drag racing Jacksonville Journal-Courier As the smell of burning rubber and gasoline fill the air, an engine revs and two cars rocket down the quarter-mile track, racing to the finish — this is "Burnout: The Ultimate Drag Race Challenge." Ushering in a new class of reality show, "Burnout" is ... See all stories on this topic »

A busy weekend as drag racing season continues Terrace Standard Norm Swengler in his Mustang and Mike McNiece in his '69 Camero yank their tires on a heads up run June 19. By Ed Evans The skies were overcast both days as the second of four Drag races at the Terrace Regional airport was run last weekend. ... See all stories on this topic »

Wet conditions put a drag on Super Nationals Youngstown Vindicator Promoter Corey Ward said they tried to focus on the drag-racing aspect of the event, now in its sixth year in the Salem location. He said pre-registration for the event is up over past years, and he anticipates 25000 participants over the weekend. ... See all stories on this topic »

Arcadia man drives down memory lane after reuniting with rare Chevy II Pasadena Star-News Misner started drag racing, he bought the high-performance car in 1966 from Jack Head Chevrolet in Alhambra for $2850. The sleek black muscle car, with its 350 horsepower and 327-cubic-inch engine, has been admired by racing commentators, ... See all stories on this topic »

Watercross event draws racers from around the United States WNDU-TV We started trying making it across and now it's turned into drag racing." The event, which draws racers from all over United States twice a year, began with Richter's passion for snowmobiling. "It's something I just love watching," said Richter. ... See all stories on this topic »

Pastor ministers to racing enthusiasts The Newark Advocate So drag racing, predominately a Sunday sport, I had to walk away (from)." A union between disciples and dragsters is possible, a fact Dunn said he discovered a few years after entering the ministry. "Back around 1985, I had attended what used to be the ... See all stories on this topic »

Owensboro has legacy as racing hotbed Cincinnati.com The Greens - David, Mark and Jeff - were raised on drag racing through their father's participation and were introduced to go-kart racing by their grandfather. Ernie Davis, who owned a plumbing and heating business in Owensboro, and Lawes Mayfield, ... See all stories on this topic »